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I've been keeping a journal almost literally since I knew how to write, although my early childhood journals have been lost to the sands of time. I only have the ones from age 14 on (I'm 32 now). I am currently on volume 41, counting only the ones I still have. It usually takes me about 4-5 months or so to fill a notebook. These days I write something every day, even if it is only one line. I haven't always done that, though; there are definitely gaps in my journaling. I've tried keeping it on the computer, but hated it. I always go back to longhand. Computer entries are too easy to lose, or delete, and I don't feel the same emotional connection to what I write when I'm writing on the computer. For me, the best way to write is just to begin with my predominant mood, feeling, event I'm thinking about, etc., and go from there. Sometimes I write pages and pages a day, sometimes not. It all depends. I also love to write down my dreams... I write them in pink so they stand out from the other entries. I've been doing this for over a decade -- my journals going back to college age all have dreams written in pink. I keep an index of dreams by title and theme, so I can see patterns in my dreams. I also sometimes write poetry or do drawings or scribble short stories in my journal, and I keep an index of that creative stuff too so I can find it later. My old volumes are filed chronologically on a shelf, except for a few more sensitive volumes I have locked away separately. (I strongly believe in protecting your own privacy if you don't want anyone reading what you've written.) As others have said, journaling is a very individual thing... this is just some of what works for me. |
Originally Posted by AmericanGirl
(Post 2608117)
Great thread! I am trying to keep up a daily journal because I find it calms me. I try not to worry much about how much I write or how well I write. I also try to note the following in all my entries: Date and sober day# How I'm feeling today/yesterday What I am grateful for today Anything I realized about my drinking Why I want to stay sober Events/activities that have occurred over the past day I also sometimes write about my dreams, which I believe often give me insight into what my subconscious is struggling with. Often I find myself writing down fears/anxieties, then later reporting on how the thing I was worried about went (slowly I'm seeing that I shouldn't be so anxious as things are rarely as bad as I fear they will be.) Whether you keep your journals in a password protected documents, in a physical diary, or online, the most important thing is consistency imho. |
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